New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cold air swinging south from Canada left residents from North Dakota to New York contending with severe weather that proved deadly in some areas .

`` Those people who work outside have to be careful , '' CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Wednesday .

Authorities say exposure to sub-freezing temperatures left at least three people dead in Wisconsin , Minnesota and Illinois .

The coldest air so far is in northwestern Quebec , where temperatures plummeted to 45 degrees below zero Fahrenheit in the city of Rouyn , according to forecasters .

`` We feel the wind chill , and so do pets . You need to find some place indoors and out of the wind for them , '' Myers said .

In the northern Maine town of Presque Isle , temperatures hung around 24 below . And in Grand Forks , North Dakota , residents bundled up to stave off a potentially deadly wind chill that hovered even lower -- around 33 below .

`` The biggest thing is staying out of the wind . That 's what kills you , '' said Michael Lannen , who works at a Menards hardware store in Grand Forks .

`` It seems we get one of these kinds of weeks every year , so everyone is just trying to bundle up and stay indoors . ''

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iReport : Cold Wisconsin !

In Ohio , the State Highway Patrol closed Interstate 90 in Lake County near Cleveland after white-out conditions contributed to accidents in the area .

Forecasters also predicted possible ice accumulations Thursday into Friday , leaving areas as far south as Georgia under a winter weather watch .

CNN iReporters sought to demonstrate the effects of the weather by tossing boiling water into the air and watching as the mist particles froze midair .

In New York and New Jersey , homes destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in places such as New Dorp , Staten Island , and Far Rockaway , Queens , still lack basic utilities needed to restore heat .

But the cold weather may have been good news for those who sell hot coffee .

`` On days like this , coffee sells . Bagels do n't , '' said Sami Akramia , a 41-year-old food cart worker bundled up in Midtown Manhattan as the temperature dropped to 4 degrees .

National Weather Service forecasters say they expect the cold weather to last throughout the week .

Environmentalists hope for action from Obama

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Forecasters predict possible ice accumulations Thursday into Friday in Georgia

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In Ohio , police close highway after white-out conditions contributed to accidents

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Authorities say exposure to sub-freezing temperatures left at least three people dead

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National Weather Service forecasters say they expect the cold to last through the week